Despite the united front of the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs to repeal don’t ask don’t tell, cracks emerged in the ranks this week.

First, Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee he had “serious concerns about the impact of repeal of the law on a force that is fully engaged in two wars and has been at war for 8½ years.”

Then, on Thursday, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway told the committee that “the current policy works,” adding that his recommendation is to “keep the law such as it is.”

Both said they agreed with Defense Secretary Gates’ plan to review the issue before repealing the policy.

"My personal opinion is that unless we can strip away the — the emotion, the agendas, and the politics. And ask, at least in my case, do we somehow enhance the war fighting capabilities of the United States Marine Corps by allowing homosexuals to openly serve," Conway said in response to questioning. "And we haven't addressed it from the correct perspective. And at this point I think that the current policy works."

"My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, and to the president would be to keep the law such as it is," Conway said.

The comments had Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell scrambling during a Thursday briefing to explain the apparent discrepancy in the ranks. “That is his obligation under the law, to provide them his best military advice,” Morrell said of Conway. “I think you've also heard from the commandant that he supports very much the review that is — that is under way right now, and looks forward to, as we all do, being informed by what comes out of it. And I don't think he is closed to the notion of learning something through this process.”

Gay rights groups have pushed for quicker action, and dispute Conway’s statement. “General Conway was the only chief to say to Congress this week that the law is ‘working.’ It is not working,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. “And nearly a quarter of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say they know who is gay and who is not. This means gay and straight troops are talking about it, and largely just don’t care.”

Political opinion polls have said the majority of Americans support changing the policy. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is expected to introduce legislation to repeal don’t ask don’t tell next week, but whether full repeal will move through Congress this year remains to be seen.

In the hearing Thursday, Lieberman brushed away any differences to appeal to the chiefs’ sense of duty in carrying out the law.

“On the day this happens, and the repeal occurs, there’s an intangible factor,” Lieberman said, that the military leaders will embrace its orders from Congress and the President. “Now we’ve got to make it work.”